All eyes were on Justin Timberlake last night as he performed this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, a show that is known for providing iconic performances and viral moments that people will talk about for years to come. Considering what happened last time Timberlake took the stage at the Super Bowl, everyone was curious to see how the singer would redeem himself this time around. However, reactions to the performance have been overwhelmingly negative, both on social media and in reviews.
We’re breaking down the top 3 reasons his performance was so badly received:
3. He made a reference to the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction
Way back in 2004, Justin performed the Halftime show with Janet Jackson and created the most memorable Super Bowl moment ever when he exposed her breast on live television. The mishap ended up mostly hurting Jackson’s career, while leaving the former boy-bander largely unscathed. Many were already displeased at the fact that Justin was given another opportunity to perform the Halftime show, while Janet has yet to be asked back. Adding insult to injury, his performance seemed to contain a reference to the incident. The legendary wardrobe malfunction took place during Justin’s song “Rock Your Bodyâ€, specifically right after the line: “Bet I have you naked by the end of this songâ€. At last night’s show, Timberlake chose to once again perform the infamous song, but stopped it right before that line, before transitioning into another song. He even gave the audience a sly grin right at that moment. It was unclear whether it was meant as a jab at Janet or not, but either way, he should’ve stayed away from that song altogether.
2. He performed an unnecessary Prince tribute
After bopping his way through some of his biggest hits, Justin sat down at the piano for a short tribute to Prince. A large projection of the late singer provided the backdrop as Justin sang along with the legend to his hit “I Would Die 4 Uâ€. Fans were not pleased with the tribute to say the least, with some calling it exploitative. Many were quick to bring up a 1998 interview where Prince criticized the practice of performing alongside artists that have passed away: “That’s the most demonic thing imaginable. Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age.†Add to that the fact that Prince was reportedly not the biggest fan of JT and we can guess the singer would probably not have appreciated the tribute, no matter how well intentioned it was.
1. It was one of the least memorable Halftime Shows of all time
You know it’s bad when the most talked about moment from your show is a boy staring at his phone during your performance. While Justin did a fine job and delivered all his greatest hits, he failed to provide any truly memorable or buzzed about moments. This is especially unfortunate considering the myriad of iconic moments that have come out of past Halftime shows (left shark, anyone?) Unfortunately, we have a feeling this performance will already be largely forgotten by the time next year rolls around.
— Jamie McCarty (@JamieMcCarty) February 5, 2018
Watch the performance below and let us know what you think!
And check out our list of the Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime Shows of All Time:
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